UNIDENTIFIED ASSAILANTS killed three members of a businessman?s family in Freeganj area here in early hours on Thursday sending shock waves across the pilgrim city.

UNIDENTIFIED ASSAILANTS killed three members of a businessman’s family in Freeganj area here in early hours on Thursday sending shock waves across the pilgrim city.

The motive of the killing has not yet been established. The police, who reached the house of the businessman Manohar Keswani, who ran a general store and shoe business found the blood soaked bodies of the trader, his 65-yr-old mother Haribai and 20-yr-old daughter Monika scattered in the house.

Keswani’s body was lying near the staircase while that of his mother and daughter in one room in the first-floor house over the shop.

The house had been ransacked and belongings of the Keshwani’s were lying scatter all over. Police forensic team and finger print experts were trying to gather clues and police sleuths working to establish the motive behind the killings. Sniffer dog too was pressed into service but it failed to track the killer(s) trail beyond half a kilometer.

Senior police officials including Superintendent of police Jaideep Prasad reached the spot to supervise the investigation. The bodies were handed over to the relatives after the post mortem. However, the wife and son of Keshwani are out of town.

The assailant, according to the SP, entered the house through main gate. He rejected that loot could be the motive as gold ornaments were not touched by the killers and none of the almirahs were broken. According to police the murders had taken place early in the morning between 0500 hrs to 0800 hrs.

Though the assailants had used sharp edged weapons to smother their victims no arms or weapons were recovered from the spot.

Prasad said police were investigating all the angles like family and business matters. But it appeared the women were killed to prevent disclosure of their identity.

Employees of the shop have been rounded up for interrogation and Prasad hoped that the murderers would be traced soon.